Adam Kinzinger warns that some Christians now 'equate Donald Trump with the person of Jesus Christ,' calls out pastors who support Trumpism

• Rep. Adam Kinzinger said some Christians in the US are equating Donald Trump to Jesus Christ.
• In an interview with MSNBC, he also criticized pastors who spread Trumpism from the pulpit.

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois on Tuesday said some Christian circles in the US have been equating former President Donald Trump with Jesus Christ, warning of "tribalistic" behavior that has led voters to "accept anything" to stay within their communities.

During an interview with MSNBC's Alex Wagner, Kinzinger said that many pastors in America have been "failing their congregation" either by preaching Trumpism "from the pulpit" or by refusing to talk about how "corrosive" the ideology is.

"And you have people today that, literally, I think in their heart — they may not say it — but they equate Donald Trump with the person of Jesus Christ," added Kinzinger, who identifies as Christian. "And to them, if you even come out against this 'amazing man Donald Trump,' which, obviously quite flawed, you are coming out against Jesus, against their Christian values."

Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot, has been one of the most outspoken lawmakers against Trump and voted to impeach the former president in 2021.

The Illinois congressman has, in turn, been censured by the Republican National Committee and often draws heat from Trump's supporters in and out of Congress.

In February, Kinzinger received a letter from 11 members of his own family calling him a "disappointment" for advocating for Trump to be removed from office.

"We were once so proud of your accomplishments. Instead, you go against your Christian principles and join the Devil's army (the Democrats and the fake news media)," the letter read.

Commenting on the letter on Tuesday, Kinzinger said that Americans have become so "tribalistic" that they worry about being ostracized from their communities "more than even fearing death."

"And so you accept anything because now Republicanism or conservatism or Trumpism becomes your identity," he said.

"I've been kicked out of my tribe, and that's okay," he told Wagner.